A study has been made of the use by disabled and elderly people of buses with lower than normal entry steps ("split step" entrance) and of buses that can be knelt to ease access. Elderly and disabled passengers used the lower step of the split step entrances preferentially and considered that type of bus easier to use. The split step entrance did not involve the operator in any significant extra capital or maintenance costs, and did not affect boarding times. The kneeling buses were only occasionally knelt in service. Passengers with physical problems cited steps as a source of difficulty far more often than did other passengers. Despite this, moving about within the bus is cited as the greatest cause of difficulty by all passengers, both with and without physical problems. (Author/publisher)
Abstract